suite was, and he told me where to go without batting an eyelid, I wondered why I’d felt uncomfortable. There was a big red light on outside the door, but I pushed it open anyway and stepped into the darkness. Two figures sitting in front of a bank of TV and computer screens, with panels of buttons and keyboards at their fingertips, turned round.
I recognised Jack’s profile straight away and my stomach lurched in a way that left my insides all shaky.
‘Hey, gorgeous,’ he said quietly. ‘Perfect timing. It’s just loading now.’
‘Cool,’ I said. I looked around and found a chair near the door. ‘I’ll just wait here.’
‘Could be a long wait.’ The voice next to Jack was harsh and abrupt. I remembered it straight away. Jazz. She swung round in her seat to stare at me. ‘This site is a little busy just now. It’s slowed right up.’
‘No rush,’ I said, and leaned forward, my hand outstretched. ‘I’m Tatty.’
‘Yes,’ she said. And though I couldn’t see her eyes looking me up and down in the dark shadows of the suite, I knew her meaning. Jack was head down, tapping away at a keyboard. ‘Thing is,’ said Jazz, ‘maybe it’s better if you wait outside. Could be a little boring in here with us journos.’
A surge of anger crashed through me. ‘Thing is,’ I said, echoing Jazz’s tone, ‘I don’t find Jack boring at all.’
Even in the gloom I could see Jazz stiffen with surprise. Good. She thought just because she had a couple of years on me that she was a couple of years smarter? Yeah, right. Bring it on, sister.
I looked over to Jack, expecting him to laugh with me, or say something to put Jazz in her place, but he was still tapping away. He clearly hadn’t heard our exchange at all. I felt a prickle of unease nudge at me, but I batted it away. Even though Jazz was tiny and beautiful and looked a little like Keira Knightly, I was the one Jack had kissed in the moonlight. It was me he wanted to be with, not Jazz.
Right?
Chapter Nine
Alone with Jack at last
‘I can’t believe I’ve just filed my second national news story in the space of a month,’ said Jack, pulling me close as he waved goodbye to Jazz, zooming off campus in her black Golf GTI.
‘You’re pretty amazing,’ I replied, punching him lightly on the arm.
He grinned, shoving his hair behind his ear, still looking at the disappearing GTI.
‘You sure you didn’t want to take that lift with Jazz back to your place?’ I glanced at Jack uncertainly. He was wearing a charcoal-coloured T-shirt that fitted closely, very old and faded jeans that hugged him in all the right places and when he looked down at me, and smiled, my heart jumped so hard I nearly stopped breathing. He has the most kissable lips in the world, and the most intense chocolate-brown eyes. I’d like his long black eyelashes for myself, but not his nose, which is a little craggy and just perfect for him.
He turned into me, his arms linked loosely at my lower back. ‘A lift with Jazz? Now why would I do that?’
‘It’s pretty uncool to be seen walking around with a schoolgirl, right?’
Jack took me by the hand and we started walking to North Road. ‘Oh no you don’t, Tallulah Bird. We’re not going anywhere
near
that issue.’
‘What issue?’
‘You know, that I’m a student; you’re a schoolgirl. I just want sex, drugs and loud parties; you need to do homework and turn the lights out at nine. No way.’
‘Well . . .’ I slowed down and glanced at his face. ‘Is any of that true?’
‘Yes!’ he proclaimed. ‘But not all of it. And, anyway, who cares? I like you and . . . you like me, right?’
I grinned. ‘Right.’
‘I just feel a little disorientated,’ admitted Jack. ‘I’ve been stuck in the city forever, then in that stuffy building all of today and it just feels strange being in the real world again.’
‘I bet,’ I said.
‘Like,’ said Jack, ‘did Jazz really just say, “
Jack
, do you want a lift
I recognised Jack’s profile straight away and my stomach lurched in a way that left my insides all shaky.
‘Hey, gorgeous,’ he said quietly. ‘Perfect timing. It’s just loading now.’
‘Cool,’ I said. I looked around and found a chair near the door. ‘I’ll just wait here.’
‘Could be a long wait.’ The voice next to Jack was harsh and abrupt. I remembered it straight away. Jazz. She swung round in her seat to stare at me. ‘This site is a little busy just now. It’s slowed right up.’
‘No rush,’ I said, and leaned forward, my hand outstretched. ‘I’m Tatty.’
‘Yes,’ she said. And though I couldn’t see her eyes looking me up and down in the dark shadows of the suite, I knew her meaning. Jack was head down, tapping away at a keyboard. ‘Thing is,’ said Jazz, ‘maybe it’s better if you wait outside. Could be a little boring in here with us journos.’
A surge of anger crashed through me. ‘Thing is,’ I said, echoing Jazz’s tone, ‘I don’t find Jack boring at all.’
Even in the gloom I could see Jazz stiffen with surprise. Good. She thought just because she had a couple of years on me that she was a couple of years smarter? Yeah, right. Bring it on, sister.
I looked over to Jack, expecting him to laugh with me, or say something to put Jazz in her place, but he was still tapping away. He clearly hadn’t heard our exchange at all. I felt a prickle of unease nudge at me, but I batted it away. Even though Jazz was tiny and beautiful and looked a little like Keira Knightly, I was the one Jack had kissed in the moonlight. It was me he wanted to be with, not Jazz.
Right?
Chapter Nine
Alone with Jack at last
‘I can’t believe I’ve just filed my second national news story in the space of a month,’ said Jack, pulling me close as he waved goodbye to Jazz, zooming off campus in her black Golf GTI.
‘You’re pretty amazing,’ I replied, punching him lightly on the arm.
He grinned, shoving his hair behind his ear, still looking at the disappearing GTI.
‘You sure you didn’t want to take that lift with Jazz back to your place?’ I glanced at Jack uncertainly. He was wearing a charcoal-coloured T-shirt that fitted closely, very old and faded jeans that hugged him in all the right places and when he looked down at me, and smiled, my heart jumped so hard I nearly stopped breathing. He has the most kissable lips in the world, and the most intense chocolate-brown eyes. I’d like his long black eyelashes for myself, but not his nose, which is a little craggy and just perfect for him.
He turned into me, his arms linked loosely at my lower back. ‘A lift with Jazz? Now why would I do that?’
‘It’s pretty uncool to be seen walking around with a schoolgirl, right?’
Jack took me by the hand and we started walking to North Road. ‘Oh no you don’t, Tallulah Bird. We’re not going anywhere
near
that issue.’
‘What issue?’
‘You know, that I’m a student; you’re a schoolgirl. I just want sex, drugs and loud parties; you need to do homework and turn the lights out at nine. No way.’
‘Well . . .’ I slowed down and glanced at his face. ‘Is any of that true?’
‘Yes!’ he proclaimed. ‘But not all of it. And, anyway, who cares? I like you and . . . you like me, right?’
I grinned. ‘Right.’
‘I just feel a little disorientated,’ admitted Jack. ‘I’ve been stuck in the city forever, then in that stuffy building all of today and it just feels strange being in the real world again.’
‘I bet,’ I said.
‘Like,’ said Jack, ‘did Jazz really just say, “
Jack
, do you want a lift
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